ER SER Te Se oh oh ie lh, Sie Se UP HS Sk SR The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, November 13, 1991 ‘3 By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff Luzerne County Fair Association, the phrase “dirt cheap” must hold some bitter irony. set an attendance record with 50,000 people crowding through the gates from September 4 to 8, toppling the old record of 30,000. of the fair, the Fair Association faces potential bankruptcy. All because of some dirt that was moved. parking lots were leveled, and an extra entrance was added to the I: livestock to be brought in. rented from the Congressional Equipment Center at a reduced rate. The project was expected to last three weeks and was budg- eted for $20,000, said Kelly. But in order to meet regulations from the Department of Environmental g had to be kept another three - weeks, for an additional $34,000. it to the bottom, but then we had to move it up because they were ' considered wetlands,” said Kelly. second set of regulations, which ' will mean more bills to meet them. for the Erosion and Sediment - Control Program administered by - the Luzerne County Conservation . District, $40,000 worth of work would have to be done. constructing swales, conduits to ‘carry away runoff water to pre- vent soil erosion. we can get a grant or unless we .'C “We're at the point where we thought the project would be $10,000 and $40,000.” the time to design the erosion "control plan to the fair, Kelly said. dr $10,000 has already been s\Gpped because after all of its expenses have been paid, the fair on has $6,000 in the bank, ac- gressional Equipment Center. parking lots, the Fair Association planned to have them used for Fair faces money Crisis as dirt work erodes its funds soccer fields. Other improvements to the fairgrounds this year in- cluded the construction of the Red Ambrose Exhibitors Building, at a total cost of $65,000, which will be paid off in two years, and the addition of concrete floors in the Arts and Crafts and Horticulture buildings at a cost of $10,000. Today, piles of rocks dot the fairgrounds, the swales in the parking lot area and near the lower entrance to the fair grounds being only partially completed. For Ed Kelly, president of the The 1991 Luzerne County Fair Despite the smashing success The lowdown on the dirt regulations Pete Mengak, a resource con- servationist for the Luzerne County Conservation District, says that money matters are not his con- cern. “This site has been an ongoing thing since May 6, 1991. The site is in continuous violation,” said Mengak, who added that the site has been inspected seven times this year. Mengak said that the violation is important because documenta- tion shows that sediment from the fairgrounds has been washed into an unnamed stream which emp- ties into the Huntsville Reservoir, which supplies public drinking water. The amount of sediment which has run into the reservoir has not been measured, said Mengak. “This is a repeat offender,” said Mengak. “They've been made aware of these regulations before.” Mengak said that the fair also did earth moving work on the grounds in 1987 without taking proper erosion control measures. “The first thing you have to keep in mind is that any and all earth moving activities require the de- sign and implementation of a soil erosion control plan,” said Men- gak. The state Department of Envi- ronmental Resources (DER) has delegated authority to review ero- sion control plans and inspect sites to county conservation districts throughout the state, according to Mengak. In Luzerne County, however, the authority to issue formal citations remains with DER’s Bureau of Soil and Water Conservation, and for- mal citations have not been issued yet, said Mengak. If formal cita- tions are issued, the state's Clean Steams Law provides for fines that could run as high as $10,000 per day for each violation. In preparing for this year's fair, ear area of the fairgrounds for To do the work, equipment was ources and the Environmental votection Agency, the equipment . “Dirt was on the top, we moved The fair was then hit with a "In order to meet requirements another $30,000 to The work primarily involves “Where we stand now, with all work that has to be done, the t will bankrupt the fair unless an get an extension,” said Kelly. it's $30,000 to Pasonick Engineering donated nt on the work, which has ding to Kelly. And approximately 4,000 is still owed to the Con- Hasay disagrees with the violations “I'm, quite frankly, angry,” said state Representative George Hasay. “I've walked the entire area and Kelly said that by leveling the there's noenvironmental pollution. There's no major soil erosion. I think it's an overreaction on the part of the Luzerne County Conser- vation District.” “It seems the soil erosion people are making the Fair Association do the whole thing very quickly,” Hasay added. “I think the Conservation District could ask the Fair Associa- tion to do it in gradual steps.” Hasay said that he and state Senator Charles Lemmond were investigating what could be done on the state level to help the fair. “I'd hate to see the Back Moun- tain lose the fairgrounds,” said Hasay. “This is what happens when an agency becomes so independent they have no boss. This is a govern- ment agency at its worst.” Hasay said that in meeting with officials from the Department of Environmental Resources and Environmental Protection Agency, they've taken a more moderate view. This year the fair paid out $24,000 in premiums, or prize money, to winners of various con- tests, according to Ed Kelly. The state will refund that money to the fair in January. “That will be money we can use to settle some of our expenses,” he said. “There’s no positive answers at this point,” said Hasay, who added that a meeting has been set up with the Fair Association and the Luzerne County Commissioners for Friday, November 15, to see if the - county may be able to help the fair financially. He has also contacted U.S. Representative Paul Kan- jorski's office to see if payments to the Congressional Equipment Center can be deferred until the association can afford them. Kelly said that the fair also was investigating getting grants, or low interest loans to pay for the work to meet the soil erosion regula- tions. Penn State lists movie schedule Penn State Wilkes-Barre offers a wide range of free cultural events throughout the year which are open to the community. The International Film Series consists of many classic films made both in the United States and Europe. Some of the films coming up are: Nov. 14, 8 1/2, (Italy); Dec. 5, Torch Song Trilogy (USA); Jan. 23, The Man Who Fell to Earth (UK); and Jan. 30, The Brother From Another Planet (USA). The films are shown at 7 p.m. in the Bierly Auditorium in the Science Building. — ee = Em Ee Em Em mm mm mm mm em mm Ee BANK AT OUR NEW DRIVE-THRU MAC ATM "UNDER THE GREEN CANOPY" ; | \Y J ; EOPLES NATIONAL BANK | Northampton Street, Edwardsville | And Become Eligible to Win... ; a 19" color television, one of three $100 savings accounts, or one of six $50 gift certificates from area merchants. | Simply complete this coupon and mail or bring it to First Peoples ! National Bank with 3 transaction receipts from our new 24-hour, Name... ci boi aaah drive-thru Automated Teller Machine. Use your MAC, PLUS System, or Cirrus card to qualify before December 16, 1991. Adress... ri i a, ! 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Tina Charney-Kravits, who served in Operation Desert Storm with the Air Force, lower the flag to half- mast during the ceremony. (Post photos/Grace R. Dove) YEE —-— ei Ee St. Paul's Lutheran Church ] Shavertown would like to acknowlege and thank the following businesses for supporting our recent Fall Auction: The Bay Windows The Beaumont Inn Bonanza Beverage Frank Clark Jeweler McCarthy Flowers Merchants Bank Northeast Capital Management Tom Ochman Jewelry The Craft Room Pet Care Associates The Fieldhouse Pickett's Charge Restaurant The Finish Line Pine Brook Inn PJ's Gifts Rave's Nursery Richardson Dodge Oscar Roth Jewelers Schimd's Amoco Shavertown Volunteer Fire Co. The Tan Generaton Tup's Beverage Barn Valentine's Jewelry Voitek TV & Appliance John A. Yenason, Inc. Footpaths and Landscapes The Furniture Workshop Sue Hand's Imagery Hanover Bank Hill The Florist Hillside Farms J & J Deli Kern Brothers Lehman Power Equipment Carol Marker Martz Trailways Proceeds toward the NEW church organ er pn ro EP ep oe es A EAT en SS Sr REISE gr=—ars = _n i — mT a CS I Sd SS EEE
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